Highly-refractory article and method of producing the same



., known'as zircon, orlsometimes as hyacinth,

Patented Jan, 2, 1923.

I s re. s

' HENRY n. Buoxnan, or JACKSONVILLE, rronina, Ann GEORGE a. Pnrrcnann, or

' NEW roan, n. Y., ssrenons T BUCKMAN arnrrcnann, Inc, or JACKSONVILLE,

rronrna, A conronn'rron or FLORIDA.

HIGHLY-REFEAGTORY ARTICLE AND IiIE'lHOD 0F EEDDUCING- THE SAME.

No Drawing. Original application fi1ed.'0ctober 9,-1919, Serial No. 329,610. Patent No. 1,375,077, dated Apri1l19, 1921. Dividedandthis'application filed March 7, 1921. Serial No. 450,408.

To all whom it'mag cone-emf I 1 Be it known that e, HENRY H, BUCKMIAN,

resident of Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida, and-GEORGE A.

high temperatures referred to.

as under such conditionsthe oxide appears, to be too readily, or -,prohibitively, attacked and itsidentity destroyed by the carbon, or

5 PRITGHARD, a residentof New York, in the county and State of'NeW York, and; being both. citizens of the United States, have jointly invented certain new and useful 1m,

provements inv Highly-Refractory Articles and Methods of Producing the Same-of Which the following' is a specification, tl1is beinga division of our pending application for patent, Serial Number 329,610, filed October 9th, 1919, Patent N O. l,375,()77,

Aprill9,1921. r 3 V v r 'Our present inventionrelates t0- such highly refractory, usually heat-compacted, f materials, or compositions of materjialsgas are by reason oftheir-refractory properties, orotherwise, useful for many vpurposes and, especially in arts involving application of very high temperatures to elements, compounds or other substancesain ordeivtocon- V vert them into various' desired products,' among the, prlncipal uses of the saidhighly refractory materials'being construction, or :preparation, therefrom of furnaces, retorts, mufiies', crucibles and thelike, orthe Walls, orv other parts, thereof, or theirapp'lication as cementingagents to the repair of such vessels, and the; objects of our. invention comprise the-provision of a material, or ma-',-

terials, or composition of materials, and a i-method of utilizing the same, whereby, w th 3 5i greater economyiand certainty than hereto- \rore, there is, among other d'esiderata, im-

ipartable tosuch appliances increased re-' sistance to high temperatures, and to the passagetherethrough, or thereoveiy of the 40 electric current {corresponding durability exceptional. stability; and capacity fonbeing -eifectively and readily repaired ahdihaintained.

,We are aware thatithe use, of zirconium :oxide '(ZrO has been heretofore suggested as desirable for somewhat "similar, or

fanalogous, purposes;-bu.t We bel'ievethat We aregthefirstto have conceived, "and by our ,researches and tests to have demonstrated,

jargon, -etc., and ,aprefe rably asproduced by nature, oraeven also as synthetically .pro-f that zirconium silicate M ('ZrSiQQ commonly, I

' conium silicate, is to be used by itself alone 7 in production of our,- novel highly refractory productaeit .ishi'ghly preferable, .if-= not:es--* .duced, behaves, in several important respects,

other reagents, the silicate .is comparatively only moderately, usually only negligibly, so

attacked at even extremely high, or coinparatiwely much higher, temperatures.

Our collaboration in this field has-now, We believe, firmly established that zircon, i. e.-, zirconium silicate v(ZrSiQ possesses, by itself, an unprecedented combination of useful qualities, or properties,chief of hich atvery high-temperatures; (2) a very high melting point' so high, indeed, as'to have proved hitherto, undeterminable accurately by us; (3) an extremely lOW coeeflicient of transmission, therethrough, of heat; (6) a remarkable CaPZLCItYfOI' autocementation, or agglomeration, when reduced to "a state of fine comminution.

Our researches and tests have also demonstrated that whenthus finely commlnuted zircon, or zirconium silicate, is, as preferable, nnxed' with water, or other suitable are: (-1) exceptional chemical inert'ness even expansion; (4) a great resistance to the pasliquid, or moistureimpartive, vehicle, and I made, as per Well-knownprocedures, into a batch from Whi'ch,,0 ;ing, in'part, to its glomerative properties, can be fashioned shapes, that even moderate heatlng, ior exabove referred to autocementative or agample at temperatures even as low as about 800 (1., Will suiiiciently stilien, or cause these shapes to be heat-compacted, or baked:-

to "a hard, durable, mass, although the true fusi'on temperature, or the melting point of the materialrisn uchhigher. It is notinecessary that theentiremass oi? zircon, or zirconium silicate, used be very finely com minuted, so long asai substantial portion'is in this condition. But when zircon, or zirsential that at least part of it befine'ly com? or other-Usual. constituents o'f-zsaiid ceramic-s, fminuted. If it is to he used "in: aissoelatn-v But in all easesiwehm've, thjusfiai', ioiindqt "with other constituents of our highly re preferable if notes'sential, to have at least i vhector-y material or finai prochit, as herefive per cent by weight of; zircon, or z ir si-fte'r referreclito this funetion 'of 'a; binding ,coniiim silicate, present in the final precinct;

one o f'theothervmaterials V agent maybe performed either by ascertain Examples. of 'onr -ahoire referred 66m; amount- 0f finely connninuted Zircon, ors by pIoyrnent -0f"'z1rc0n, Tor zirconium S111C21t6 r with associated mater als are, amongfothers;

' f In order todescribe morefiilly our inven- [as followsz VVe sometimes .cornposef our I ti'on zjin'd toenable 'othersskilled in the art highly refractory articles, or ceramic-prod- -ifi, f r to practice it, Weherelgi e theiollowing sev 'ucts, or-azircon," for vzi'ree'niuin silitzatg-assoi i 1 eral examples .ofbur procedure. v i ated with a compoundof ah miniumtdwit a WVhen-We clesir 'o h gh yr rory iisolidinorganie eomp'ound-of'thatmetelysuh h 7 I "by itself;oressentitllyby itself; unassdci fer examplefas1iitzib1e e1ay;' say---0ne;eOIn+ 1 I ated with, other thereto designedlyf added posed prineipally' o f an aluminum .sih'eate 1 material,Weteke'twentyfive per cent of zirand: intimately mix it with, {LS at -ve n which is natiirallyror hasheen, finely C(ifil hconfinfsi eh proportionsthat the finely'e m t0 cen'sist,*of zircon, or zirconinin siljicat'enfTonthis 611d, "II the laftter' instanee, we seleetg'lso i w eon Whiehisin theYforrn'nf particlesfi.Ke sciibechifinely e'or'n minuted -j ndj c0arse minnted (say f small er), and mix it t'hbrdughly With coers'er; as aboiit one' to three, and: the *tetil zircen I "z'irc0n"(say' f-n1esh enlarger); If Mprestq the-alnniinium ceinpoiindwill be abate-as; 'sure mold-is?tdbea-exnployech Wefprefer, 'oneltofl one; Other pmp orti ons, inclu Cling I though not iabsoliiteiy *neeessaryg to" use these relativefio "other constituents"bfthe 901 1-- j11stabout; suflicientitb insur'a-th'orqiigh dis: readilybe'*-"aj; 1i farent t0 those skiHed in' the I tribution ofthe mere finely oinmini ted Zirart." Onr 'procedurel flfrom thispointitofthe eon,

f'0f5 and interstiti ally between;- thel fl ergerlow$-that"iboveideseriberlfi a particles.- Thejshap'es prodiic'edlhy usualr-In-bthr:'ee"'es,'or f0'r-"specia1'purpeses,'we 9 procedures, as,-f0r' eXa In' 1ejin pressure! s'inriilai'lyv endby theisarne pro'eedures; asso-v meme-from thls'novel 'bateh' Wefdry; and 1 ciate thefz rcon or}zirconlumsiheate; n ourusually fire s0 astoheat-compae't the rcom 'highly}refractory meterialg'or products, with *poiient's thereoflqas per any' lqneo f the sev eral usual and well-knownp roceclures fthe p'r'efe a ly a q r ndl et ffw i:

ii-rt; thus imparting greatershape retentiva mo'nly knownias silieaflfsandfi ness to the congloineratidn of "constituent j; The term Z1fe0n employed "nloiir herein I material-l If a pressure. moldf is not tq'be'after'made cl ims 'isto' b'eh-understddd" in 5 empldyed, we prefer to use'si ffi c ientw'ztter, eechf instance as re'ferrin-gwtoa chemical.

-, or other suitahleliquid, or"nioistn're imparfcbmbinttien of zirconium, isili cbnand-oxj -i tive, vehicle in th'e ini'x to: so moisten" the gen desi gnatable" byl jtheformiilz *ZrSiO loeflac l 'aslto insure net 'onl'yra proper distribuand 1 irrespective fit's-"ori gin' beingfsyn- I tlon ofthejfinely dividedzircon thrqughontfithetie ornatiira ll ff i the mass, but also zvprop'er Working consist Ving W r 110 described; our -inventi6n, i

' eney'.j This i's alse theease when we desire to "f-"i hat we 'elaim' as new; anddesire; to 'secure use our highly'refractery material,aS'a re Letters"Patentis.thefollowing;viz:-j/-

fractory "eement5 applied to gwhere indieated 1 thereafter driedlinplace;

While plastie as by ftrowellingfiet'c' Fiend particular "art iirwhiehiit'is insect; our novelflhighly refratctdry material-nentaining Silica-1 highly?refractoryimaterial,or products-11133 and also agchemical compoi'indof zireoniu m I best be composed. eitherwhelly-of zircon, or silicona'mi oxygen;v I

, Zirconium silicate,- as l ah,0ire described.,1( r1 As a; new article Y bfm nufa'cmr e zipl'sgin other. cases, er 'jfor spe cialius'es, re fraeteryl ineterialwcentaining" zir: f asyforexarnpleym the nztnnfactureofthose con -(ZrSiO xand else quartz." 7611" known products-knowngasj 0erainic"' 4. As} afneW 'article'efi'm Wares, -0r.. cera1n-1cs,-. ltnlay advantageously highly refractory material- '5i'containing Zircdn'ium; 111 9 handfoxygem ,1 I

or zirconium silicate, overfthe surfaceniainuifaieti re Of'SJhapesr r Qf'eementsQfOL 95 1 6. As a new article of manufacture a highly refrz-ictory material composed e'ssen-' tially of a mixture of zircon with-silica in substantially equal proportions. I

As a newartlclel of manufacture a highly refractory material composed of silica mixed with zircon, the greater part of said z rcon being in the form of relatively large,;or coarse, particles between which are interstitially contained smaller zircon particles. I

8. As a new article of manufacture a highly refractory material composed of silica mixed with zircon, the zircon being .in the form of particles, the majority of which are not less than 90 mesh in size and between which are interstitially disposedzircon particles of not more than 200 -mesh in size.

9. As a new article of manufacture a highly refractory material composed of a mixture of zircon with silica in 'substane tially equal proportions, the zircon being in the form of a conglomeration of'finely comminuted particles thereof contained inter stitiallybetween, a and compacted with, coarser particles thereof.

10. The method of making a refractory composition of matter which comprises obtaining, as by comminuting, zircon in the form of particles, the ma ority of'whlch are of greater size or mesh than the re1na1n der, mixing said particles of zircon with form of particles, the majority of which are in size not less than 90 mesh and the most part of the remainder of which are in size not greater than QOO'mesh, mixing silica with said particles of different sizes, adding to the mixture a moisture impartive vehicle in quantity such as to render the mass plastic and subjecting it to temperature below the melting point thereof but sufficient to stiffen orheat-compact it.

HENRY H. BUCKMAN.

GEORGE A. PRITCHARD. 

